Black Bittern
A species of Dupetor Scientific name : Ixobrychus flavicollis Genus : Dupetor
Black Bittern, A species of Dupetor
Botanical name: Ixobrychus flavicollis
Genus: Dupetor
Content
Description General Info
Photo By Ayuwat Jearwattanakanok
Description
The black bittern (Ixobrychus flavicollis) is a bittern of Old World origin, breeding in tropical Asia from Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka east to China, Indonesia, and Australia. It is mainly resident, but some northern birds migrate short distances. This is a fairly large species at 58 cm (23 in) in length, being by some margin the largest bittern in the genus Ixobrychus. Compared to related species, it has a longish neck and long yellow bill. The adult is uniformly black above, with yellow neck sides. It is whitish below, heavily streaked with brown. The juvenile is like the adult, but dark brown rather than black. Their breeding habitat is reed beds. They nest on platforms of reeds in shrubs, or sometimes in trees. Three to five eggs are laid. They can be difficult to see, given their skulking lifestyle and reed bed habitat, but tend to fly fairly frequently when the all black upperparts makes them unmistakable. Black bitterns feed on insects, fish, and amphibians.
Size
66 cm
Nest Placement
Floating
Feeding Habits
Black Bittern's diet consists of fish, frogs, lizards, molluscs, crustaceans, and insects, with crepuscular and nocturnal feeding times peaking at dusk and dawn, also daytime feeding in overcast rainy weather. Usually feeds alone or in pairs, indicating a solitary or minimally social hunting behavior.
Habitat
The black Bittern thrives in dense freshwater environments and estuarine margins within forests, including wetlands, lagoons, and reedy swamps. While prevalent in lowland areas, such as mangroves and Melaleuca swamps, they adapt to various habitats from the Indian subcontinent to Northeast Asia, and are occasionally found in higher terrain areas.
Dite type
Piscivorous
General Info
Feeding Habits
Bird food type
Photo By Ayuwat Jearwattanakanok
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Pelicans and Relatives Family
Herons Genus
Dupetor Species
Black Bittern